Coast Guard regulations require that the stern light on most motorboats be visible from all directions. This requires that the light be situated atop a pole which is the highest object on the boat. Rigidly mounted poles and lights created problems for boat owners when covering, docking, transporting and storing their boats. Early stern lights were mounted with a compression collar which could be released to allow a portion of the pole to slide downward into a cavity below the deck of the boat. While this lowered the profile of the boat when the light was not in use, it still left a large part of the light above the surface of the boat and often in the way of fishing, skiing and other boating activities. This embodiment had the following disadvantages:
1. The mounting bracket, adjustable collar, light and a part of the pole protruded from the surface of the boat deck at all times.
2. The height of the pole was limited to the depth of the below deck cavity.
3. The light had to be manually raised and lowered at the location of the light. Typically this location could not be reached by the vessel operator without leaving the controls of the boat.
Later, a light was developed which is removable. This created a smoother surface, leaving only the mounting ring and socket cover above the deck surface. This embodiment allowed the use of longer poles since they were not limited to the depth of the below deck cavity. This embodiment also has its share of disadvantages, some creating serious safety problems.
This removable light created storage problems for the pole when not in use. When the tube and light unit are removable, a separable electrical connection must be provided. The electrical connectors often fail due to vibration or corrosion leaving the operator of the boat with a defective, illegal, and potentially dangerous condition. Most such lights are located along the edge or rear of the boat and many lights have been dropped overboard during the installation or removal process. Finally, if the light produces a glare at night off the boats windshield for the driver, there is no way to adjust the light upward to eliminate the annoying and potentially blinding glare.
What is needed is a simple but effective signaling system that will allow the light to be operative at any desired height and the tube and light to be compactly stored below the deck of the hull in an interior chamber leaving no surface protrusions. The electrical connections must be foolproof to assure safety at all times of operation. Finally, the signaling system should be remotely operable from the boat driver's control panel.